denny411

I am using oem seats removed from a 97 pontiac sunfire. They fit very well,without raising the seat base height. I`m sure that`s not much of an issue if you are under 5`, but i need all the headroom I can get. With only slight modification to the track with a rotary cutter, they can accept the stock s30 seat track.

The alfa romeo 164l has oil coolers with small 6 or 8 inch thermostatically controlled fans on them. the alfa`s share many components with volvo so that may be another place to find them since 164`s arent exactly common.

I have been sitting in the background for awhile, quietly observing the whole aero,cooling dilema. I`m somewhat concerned with some of the things that I`ve done but encouraged by others. here is the rundown of what i have accomplished so far. 1. shaved drip rails 2.shaved marker lights 3.shaved sail panel vents 4.3.5" cowl induction hood 5. whale tail 6.installed fiberglass MSA front and rear bumpers 7.cut out the inner fenders behind the strut towers 8.installed Z28 heat extractor vents in front fenders 9.headlight covers(yet to be installed) I am in the process of flush mounting the windshield and hatch glass, and building a box to isolate the "cowl induction" intake to the carb/air cleaner. Even before it was such a popular concern, I had planned to enclose the front of the car and channel all incoming air through the radiator. I never realized so little air was necessary to keep the engine cool. Micheal and I have had several extensive conversations over the years regarding the aerodynamics "or lack there of" that these cars actually have,So it`s been in the back of my mind all through the paint and body process. I`m really surprised that the wind tunnel results were not worse. It seems that the whale tail turns out to be a good thing for which I am thankfull. It flows so well with the lines of the car and I`ve got alot of time in bodywork making it fit the way I wanted. It would really suck if it was "all for looks" I guess it`s still up in the air as far as the shaved drip rails go. I would really love to see some CD numbers. Maybe in the future we could have a car tested with them shaved. Either way I LOVE the smooth look without them, and I have no intentions of welding them back on. The flush mounted windshield will interest many of you. I`ll get some pics in my album soon so everyone can see how i did it. It`s way to complicated to go into now but it has been and will be very time consuming to finish. I will say it does look sweet. I am planning to do a full belly pan for the car to channel the remaining air in the engine bay through the transmission tunnel to help cool the viscous posi diff. it will be modified behind the rear axle to let air escape smoothly under the rear of the car without catching inside the rear valance and bumper like a parachute. The entire theme of my car is "smooth,sleek,and MEAN" It`s not fully assembled and still looks like it`s doing 150mph sitting still.It won`t be a sleeper in any way shape or form. especially when they see and hear the fenderwell headers and 3.5" sidepipes.

The single most common mistake made by a first time engine builder is impatience. Slow down, take a deep breath and read,read and re-read. Then come here, ask a few more questions, and go back and read some more. The links that grumpy posted are there for a very important reason. The information contained there is imense. If you want max torque then stroke it. i`m not sure where you aquired your crank and pistons, but if they could be returned for credit towads a stroker kit that is pre balanced, that`s what i would do. A good set of aftermarket heads is a must, as well a good cam with a profile to match the flow charactaristics of your heads. If this is going to be a "toy", then you can afford to take your time and do it right the first time. Just be clear with youself of what you really want from this engine, make a plan,and stick to it. Then get your shopping list togther and start bargain hunting. ebay and message boards such as this are litterd with items for sale by people who didn`t plan well and are sitting on parts that they can`t use. Denny

I`m pretty sure a HybridZ sanctioned build is out of the question after what happened last time. BUT... that doesn`t mean that it couldn`t be done privately. I would love to see a "REAL" hybrid with a v8 as the hybridz founding fathers intended. I know the thought of a 500hp 4cyl sounds cool and all, but why not a 1000hp 8cyl? After all there is NO REPLACEMENT for DISPLACEMENT.

Parallel park your car with the left front tire against a curb to prevent it from moving. Then have a friend attempt to turn the wheel left to right while you watch all of the joints in the steering system for movement. Check the u-joint in the steering shaft from the column, check the splines where the shaft couples to the rack, check the tie rod ends for ANY movement in the joint, and check the lower ball joints for ANY movement. I wouldn`t drive this car anywhere until you get this problem figured out. It sounds like a potentially deadly to me. I would hate to see the offending part fail at highway speed or heavy traffic.

HHMMmm??... I never figured cubans as big brandy drinkers.

I empathize with you. We went through a major home garage fire in feb 92. When it was over, all I had left was in a laundry basket in my car. keep close tabs on your ins co. They WILL screw you if they get the chance.

If your eyes feel tired after welding for a short time. either your lens isn`t dark enough, or it`s not switching fast enough. I need to invest in a better auto-dark helmet for tig. My cheap swap meet helmet is fine for mig at lower amps, but i don`t think it`s dark enough when I tig.

i wish I had the nerve to change door handles. Those look MUCH better than the stock handles, and would match well with the shaved markers,drip rail,antenna,ect that i`m doing. I guess my fear is not getting them to operate properly. I`d hate to screw up a perfect rust free pair of doors.

Has anyone considered putting stoppers at the outside corners of the hatch to insure that the hatch stays level? One could probably use the same stoppers that are used at the rear of the hood. This would create five points of contact. It might also make it easier to keep the hatch seams and gaps aligned for those of us who are interested in those types of nit-picky details. I may do this myself since the whale tail might have a tendancy to make the hatch flutter at speed.